The Sharingan Stayed
by BleachFTW
Summary: What would have happen if Sasuke stayed in Konoha? Naruto thought he was lucky to learn. But, as he quickly learns, maybe Sasuke leaving wasn't so bad after all...
1. Discovery

Here's yet another new story. This one is, obviously, about Naruto.

Which I don't own.

Read and review.

If anything about any of my stories is bad, then how will I know unless you review and comment about it?

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**1 - Discovery**

The grass was fresh with morning dew. An old man with long silver colored hair led a boy with spiky blond hair towards a destination only they knew.

"Do we have to train _this _early?!" The orange-clad boy yawned.

"Yes. If we're ever going to prepare you for the Akatsuki, we need all the time we can get. Now, hurry up." The man quickened his pace.

The boy struggled to keep up. "Hey! Pervy-Sage! Wait up!" He yawned again.

"Hurry up, Naruto!" The man's voice was distant. Naruto looked ahead and saw his teacher was at least 50 yards ahead of him. The man looked like a floating head. The morning mist made it difficult to see clearly.

"Hey! Pervy-Sage! Wait for me!" Naruto followed his teacher to the training grounds.

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"OK! Today, we're continuing our Rasengan practice!"

"What the hell?! We've been doing that all week! I thought you wanted me to make _progress_!"

"I do, Naruto. So, we are going to work on you hitting _moving _targets."

"..." Naruto stared at the ground.

"I see you understand what I'm trying to say. You are proficient at hitting stationary targets with the Rasengan. However, when it comes to moving targets, you are forced to think of a way to stop their movement. This diverts your energy and concentration, so when it comes time to actually _use _the Rasengan you may not have the energy to use it effectively."

Naruto continued to look at the ground. However, anyone at the scene could tell that Naruto was giving Jiraiya his undivided attention. Jiraiya could tell, so he continued.

"So, we are going to bypass stopping them. We are going to learn how to hit them while they are still moving."

Naruto looked up and smiled determinedly. "Let's get to work!"

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"Damn it!'

"Aim ahead of your opponent and don't make it too obvious at what you're going to do! Lure them into your attack!"

"I know!" Naruto lunged forward to attack.

Jiraiya effortlessly dodged. "Then why are you still not doing it?"

Naruto glared and attacked from the left.

Jiraiya dodged and hit Naruto in the gut. "Let's call it day. We'll continue tomorrow." He walked back to their sleeping area.

"Ugh." Naruto fell backwards and lay on his back, looking at the darkening sky.

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Naruto woke up up before the sun started to rise. He sat up and looked at the moon. It was full and had just started to set.

Naruto stood up and started to walk back to their sleeping grounds.

He slowly discovered that he was walking the wrong way. He sat down on a large boulder. _Great just what I need... To be lost while I should be training... This is all Pervy-Sage's fault. He says _I _have to watch out for the Akatsuki. Why doesn't he have to?_

_NO..._

He stood up.

_No. This is _my _fault... If I could have stopped Sasuke, none of this would be happening..._

He continued walking in the wrong direction.

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Jiraiya woke up just after sunrise. He sat up slowly and quickly realized that something was wrong. He looked around and went back to sleep.

_Where's Naruto?_

Jiraiya shot up and ran to the training grounds.

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_Oh... Shiny... I like shiny..._

Naruto ran towards the bright light.

As he neared, it revealed itself to be a cave outlined by a bright, rainbow colored light. He slowed to a walk.

"Things like this are usually suspicious..."

He stopped feet from it. He stared at it. He reached out to touch it.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, NARUTO?!"

Naruto's hand stopped halfway to the cave. He slowly turned and faced Jiraiya.

"Exploring..."

"You do know that things like that could be dangerous, right?"

Naruto looked away and stared at the cave again. _It's like it's calling to me... _"... Yeah..."

Jiraiya looked at the cave too. "Then don't mess around in there..."

"Why not? Do you know what it is?"

"No..."

"Then, why can't we?"

Jiraiya stared at the cave. "Let's just get some training in today."

"All right!"

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They slept in front of the cave that night. It was Naruto who suggested it. To both their surprise, Jiraiya had agreed.

Naruto stared at the full moon. "Hey, Pervy-Sage?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't we check out the cave?"

"No."

"Why? What's it gonna hurt?"

"Us."

"But, Pervy-Sage, we are two awesome ninja. We could take on anything that might be in there!"

Jiraiya thought about it and sat up. He stared at the cave. It was mesmerizing. "Ya know what? If that's what you want, Let's check out the cave. It'll only delay your training."

Naruto shot up. "Yes! Let's go!"

Jiraiya stood up and they both made their way to the cave's entrance. They both hesitated for a moment before they entered the cave.

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The cave let out into a dense forest. Naruto looked around. "This is so _familiar._.."

They stood on top of a tree branch.

The sounds of battle and anguish could be heard all around them.

"OK. I _know_ that I've been here before..."

Voices could be heard from nearby.

"This is... The Sharingan Windmill, Triple Blade!!"

"Alright!!"

Naruto knew he heard this conversation before. "Sakura?"

"Hehe... Too bad..."

"Bah." There was the sound of roaring flames. Then, the chill of silence.

"Argh! I _know _this has happened before!" Naruto jumped away to get closer to the action.

"Wait! Naruto! Don't mess with anyt-" He followed Naruto.

"To be able to use the Sharingan so well at this age... You truly are the man that carries the Uchiha blood. Just as I thought... I want you..."

Naruto stopped on a tree a few dozen feet before the battle site. He saw Sasuke and Sakura fighting Orochimaru disguised as that Grass Ninja. "I knew it..." He prepared to stop what came next.

"What are you doing?"

"Stopping Orochimaru."

"Do you know what could happen if you do that?"

"No, and I don't care. I'm gonna save my friend."

He leapt away and Jiraiya smiled. "You'll have to learn the hard way..."

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Sakura rushed to Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun!"

The Grass Ninja smiled and held up it's peeling face. "I had fun testing your powers." The ninja removed it's hand from it's face and the symbol on it's headband had changed from Grass to Sound. "You really are brothers. I sense power in your eyes that surpasses Itachi."

Sasuke was shocked. "Who the hell are you?!"

The ninja held up Team 7's scroll. "My name is Orochimaru. If you want to see me again..." He burned the scroll. "Then survive and pass this Exam..."

Sakura's face was nothing but shock. "AH!! The scroll..."

"Of course, defeating my men, the Sound Ninja Trio on the way."

"What the hell are you talking about?! We'd never want to see your face again!"

"Hehe... It won't go that way..." Orochimaru did a hand sign and his neck began to stretch towards Sasuke.

"RASENGAN!!" A ninja in orange hit Orochimaru with a Rasengan square in the chest. The two of them went flying out of sight.

Sasuke and Sakura were surprised. "Was that Naruto?"

"No, Sakura, Naruto's right here..."

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FIN

Next time, Naruto vs. Orochimaru.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Review, please.

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	2. The Great Snake

Naruto vs. Orochimaru! Will an older Naruto be able to beat the Great Snake?!

Read and review.

Sorry it's short... Everything seems longer when you're writing it...

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**2 - The Great Snake**

Naruto stood over a wounded Orochimaru. "Alright, you lousy, great snake! You're done terrorizing my friends!"

Orochimaru slowly stood up. "W-weren't you unconscious...?"

Naruto scoffed. He understood where and when he was. "Last year..." He glared at Orochimaru. "Last year, you stole my friend... You cursed him..." He clenched his fist. "I _was _unconscious... I couldn't do anything about it... _Then_..." His eyes turned red and beast-like. "_Now_, I'm gonna kick your ass."

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Sakura and Sasuke were racing through the forest. Sasuke was carrying Naruto.

"I know he's with us _now_. But didn't it seem like he was saving us?"

"Sakura, wake up. He was with us then, too. That... _That _was someone else... Or something..."

"But..."

"Drop it. It doesn't matter who did it. It just happened. Right now we need to find some place to recover for a few hours."

Sakura looked down, dejected. "You're right..."

They jumped off.

Three shadowy figures rose out of a tree branch.

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"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Hundreds of Narutos appeared, surrounding Orochimaru.

"Is that all you can do? I'm not impressed. _Sasuke _is much more appealing..."

The Narutos charged.

Suddenly, the area was filled with smoke.

Naruto jumped away. He landed on a tree and looked at the battlefield. Orochimaru stood with a sword in his hand. Ten of Naruto's clones were on tree branches. Only ten.

"My, my... Sasuke is much more capable..." Orochimaru ran his hand through his hair. "I haven't even broken a sweat."

"Damn it..." Some of Naruto's clones attacked again.

Orochimaru readied his sword. "If it didn't work with hundreds of you, what makes you think it'll work with five?"

Naruto was at his feet.

"What?!"

"This." Naruto kicked him into the air. Four more quickly followed. "Na." The first kick arrived. "Ru." The second kick sent him higher. "To." The third kick brought Orochimaru face to face with another clone. "Uzumaki Barrage!" The fourth kick sent Orochimaru flying back to the ground.

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Jiraiya was exploring.

He was in the first battlefield.

"Why did I take so long? Where did they go?"

Yelling and a loud thud pointed him in the right direction.

"I see..." Jiraiya jumped off.

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Naruto stood over Orochimaru. "Am I weak now?"

"Why yes, actually. Appallingly so."

Naruto turned and saw Orochimaru in a tree. He was unharmed. Naruto looked behind him and saw Orochimaru's clone turn into mud. He turned back and faced Orochimaru.

"Why are you looking at that one?"

"Wha-?" Naruto turned and saw Orochimaru right in front of him.

"I was wrong... You aren't weaker than Sasuke... You aren't even in his league..."

He stabbed Naruto through the heart.

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Jiraiya was lost.

"Damn. I lost them... I hope he's not in over his head..."

He continued going in the wrong direction.

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Naruto had a look of shock on his face.

Orochimaru pulled his hand back and left the kunai in Naruto's chest. He turned. "You fell far short of my expectations... Now to resume my original designs..."

"I don't think so."

Orochimaru turned as Naruto fell to the ground. "You..."

"Beause you're going to die here."

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Gasp! Did Naruto die? Who is challenging Orochimaru now? How will this fight end?

Next time: Orochimaru versus...!

Read and review.


	3. Master and Student

Sorry for the delay. Internet troubles.

I don't own Naruto.

Who challenges the Great Snake now?

Read and Review.

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**3 - Master and Student**

Orochimaru smiled. "I must admit, I'm surprised you managed to find me here... Anko."

Anko Mitarashi stepped forward on her tree branch. "Is it so surprising that I found my old master so easily?"

"Heh. I suppose not. What do you intend to do now?"

She jumped down. "I could ask you the same thing."

Orochimaru waved his finger back and forth in front of him. "Uh-uh... I thought you were better than that. I asked you the question first. What are your intentions now that you've found me?"

A snake erupted from her sleeve and wrapped itself around Orochimaru. "I am going to kill you. Now... What are _you _up to?"

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_**"Can you hear me, Naruto?"**_

Naruto was on his back in a few inches of what may or may not have been water. He looked around and realized that he wasn't in the Forest of Death anymore. He was in a long, dimly lit corridor.

He sat up and felt a slight tug. He stood up and suddenly found himself gliding.

He glided for a while and eventually stopped. He stopped in front of a large cage with a paper seal holding the doors shut.

Demonic, glowing eyes appeared.

_**"Naruto... You can't beat him on your own... Let me help you..."**_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jiraiya stopped.

_A spike in chakra... But who's is it?_

He put his head down and closed his eyes in thought.

_Ahh.... Anko's fighting him now... _

He turned to the right.

_I wonder what happened to Naruto... I wonder if Anko can handle her old teacher..._

He jumped off. "Hold on, Anko."

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Orochimaru managed to draw his sword from his throat. He cut through Anko's snake and jumped back.

"Though it won't be much..." He stuck his sword to his side. "You will be more of a challenge than that kid I just disposed of..."

"We'll see." Snakes erupted from both of her sleeves and she charged.

"Heh. Yes, we will." He charged, preparing to swing his sword.

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"Can I have the first strike, Dosu?"

A burly figure sat on a branch a few meters away from where Sasuke, Sakura, and an unconscious Naruto were camped. "Heh. If you think you can take them, Zaku. Go right ahead. Just try not to kill Sasuke."

"Heh. We'll see what happens." Zaku jumped off to attack.

"Dosu... Are you sure Zaku can handle them?"

Dosu stood up. "It's possible... We'll hang back and see."

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"Heh. Not so high and mighty now... Are you, Orochimaru?"

Anko and Orochimaru were locked together. Anko had pinned Orochimaru and herself to a tree. A kunai knife sticking through their left hands.

"Can I borrow your other hand?" She grabbed his free hand and held her pointer and pinkie fingers up.

Orochimaru looked surprised. "That's-"

Anko smiled. "Yes. I told you... You're going to die here."

"How can I die from _that _technique if I'm over here?"

"What?" Anko looked behind her as Orochimaru's clone disappeared.

"Well... It wasn't by much... But you _were _better than that kid from earlier... Good-bye."

Dozens of snakes sprang up from nowhere and surrounded a bewildered Anko.

The snakes were suddenly thrown back in a cloud of smoke.

"What the hell?!" Orochimaru was stunned.

"Heh. Long time no see... Orochimaru." An older man stood in front of a weakened, crouching Anko. His long, silver hair flowed in the wind as Anko clutched her neck.

Orochimaru held his sword up and grinned. "Jiraiya..."

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_**"Are you going to answer me?"**_

Naruto just stood there. He looked into the kyubi's eyes.

_**"Naruto... You need my help... Open these doors and all my power will be yours."**_"No."

_**"What?"**_

"I'm not letting you out. You're just taking up space. It's time to pay some rent. You'll give me some of your chakra, but you'll stay in the cage."

_**"Hmm... Fine... I don't have much choice... Just don't die..."**_

Red, bubbling chakra oozed from the cage and surrounded Naruto.

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"So... Jiraiya what brings you to our party?"

"I'm going to-" He looked away from Orochimaru. "What's that noise?"

"Trying to distract me? I must say, that i-" Orochimaru looked around for the source of the bubbling noise. "Where is that coming from?"

The bubbling grew louder.

Suddenly, there was a bright orange light.

Naruto stood in a tree. The kyubi's chakra was surrounding him, taking the form of a miniature, one-tailed version of itself.

"Our fight isn't over... Orochimaru!"

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I hope you enjoyed it.

The next chapter should be up sooner than this one was.

Naruto revives! Orochimaru vs. Naruto: Round 2! Can Naruto win the rematch?

Read and review.


	4. Rise and Rage

Sorry it's a tad late.

For all who don't know: All of my stories will be released weekly.

I don't own Naruto. I do own this interpretation of it.

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4 - Rise and Rage

Orochimaru grinned. "Hm... Let's hope that the kyubi is more of a challenge than _you_."

Naruto growled. His red eyes gleamed.

He charged.

Orochimaru smirked and ran his hand through his hair. He raised his sword.

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Sakura was tending to an unconscious Naruto while Sasuke stood guard.

A shadow moved through the bushes.

Sakura looked up when she heard a crunching noise. "What was that?!"

Sasuke poked his head into the tree stump that they were using as a base. "What noise?"

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, if _you _didn't hear anything... It's nothing." She put a wet washcloth on Naruto's forehead.

Sasuke eyed her suspiciously. "Well... Alright... If you're sure..."

Sakura nodded reassuringly. "Yeah. It's nothing. Go on. We'll be fine."

Sasuke stood there a moment. Then, he turned and was suddenly face to face with Zaku.

Zaku held up a closed hand. "Yo. How's it goin'?"

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. He reached for his weapons pouch.

Zaku smiled. His hand slowly opened. "Good-bye."

Sasuke had a brief glance of a hole on Zaku's open palm. He suddenly found himself flying backwards in a huge gust of wind. His kunai flew from his hand as he somersaulted in the air.

Zaku rounded on Sakura as Sasuke crashed into a tree a few dozen feet away.

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"Grah!" The kyubi spiraled away from Orochimaru.

Orochimaru grabbed his right arm and lowered his sword. "Heh." He dabbed at the wound just below his shoulder, "This _is _more interesting. But..." He raised his sword again. "I wonder how long you can keep it up..." He lunged at Naruto.

Naruto's red eyes glinted and he jumped straight up. Orochimaru ran below him, his sword outstretched. Naruto swung down with both hands. The chakra shaped like fox claws mirrored his movements.

Orochimaru dove to the right and swung upward.

Naruto deflected it with his left claw and swung straight down with his right.

Orochimaru dove, but Naruto's left claw came at him from the side and cut through his side.

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A figure clad in a green jumpsuit crouched on a tree. The branch he'd recently landed on had dropped twenty leaves. He wore a look of fierce determination on his face.

_If I can catch all twenty of these leaves, before they hit the ground, Sakura-san will begin to like me. But if I miss even one... It will remain as unrequited love... Plus she'll call me stuff like "Thick-Brows."_Anyone looking in at the scene could almost see the fire in his eyes.

"Yaa!!" He launched himself of the branch and towards the ground.

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Zaku lifted Sakura by the hair and dragged her out of the tree trunk. "Yo! Dosu! Kin! I got 'em!"

His companions jumped down from a nearby tree. A young man with a completely bandaged head nodded slightly. "Good job, Zaku."

Zaku smirked. "What do we do with them?"

Dosu tilted his head to the side. "You finish off Sasuke. I'll take the other boy. Kin, you kill the girl."

Zaku threw Sakura at Kin's feet and went off to find Sasuke. Dosu walked to the tree where Naruto was.

Kin grabbed Sakura by the hair and pulled out a kunai. She brought Sakura's face to her's. "Poor girl..." She ran the kunai over various parts of Sakura's body. "You know what your problem is...? You were too concerned with beauty and not strength. I mean..." She jerked Sakura's head upwards. "_Look _at this hair. So long and luscious. I would _kill _for hair like that... But I don't have the time to spend on _my _hair..." Her kunai suddenly stopped just above Sakura's right breast.

Kin smiled. "_This _should keep you alive for a while." Kin stabbed Sakura.

Sakura shrieked with pain.

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The boy had just caught the nineteenth leaf when he collided with a branch.

He lay there for a moment, then caught sight of the last leaf that was floating a few feet from the ground.

He jumped after it.

He was within a finger's length of it when he heard the shriek.

He looked to the direction it came from. "Sakura-san?!"

He suddenly collided with the ground

He rolled onto his side and counted the leaves in his hands.

"... 17... 18... 19. _Nineteen_..."

He suddenly remembered the shriek and jumped up.

"Sakura-san!"

He ran off in the direction of the shriek.

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Orochimaru's upper body flew through the air. His legs kneeled and fell forward.

Naruto landed behind where he was. His kyubi form began dissipating. He started breathing heavily.

Jiraiya called out to him. "You alright, Naruto?!"

Naruto nodded slowly.

Suddenly there was a rustling noise. Naruto turned and saw something sprouting from Orochimaru's legs.

Naruto's eyes widened as a fully grown, unwounded Orochimaru stood up from the remaints of his legs.

He smiled wide and ran his hand through his hair.

"Well, Naruto... Up for round three?"

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I promise the fight between Orochimaru and Naruto will end next time.

Review, please.

Next Time: Naruto vs. Orochimaru: The conclusion.


	5. The Forest of Death

The fight between Naruto and Orochimaru enters round 3! Who will win? Meanwhile, forces converge on past-Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura's camp!

I don't own Naruto.

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5 - The Forest of Death

Naruto smiled widely. "Hell yeah." He drew a kunai and threw it.

Orochimaru dodged it easily and charged. He suddenly stopped. "What are you doing, Jiraiya?!"

Jiraiya stood in between the two combatants, his arms stretched in an effort to keep the two apart. He looked at a spot on a tree in front of him when he spoke. "Whoa, whoa, whoa... Hold yer horses there buddy."

Orochimaru stopped and looked at Jiraiya skeptically. "Why?"

The sage chuckled. "Well, for starters... Killing off the main character _this _early in a series is just _not _how things work."

Orochimaru tilted his head. "And I care about this, _why_?"

"Well..." Jiraiya hesitated but ultimately decided to press his advantage. "All you'll have to do then is Sasuke."

Jiraiya smirked as Orochimaru's eyes widened. The great snake threw his arms up in the air. "Why does everybody think _that_?!"

Naruto interjected. "Because you remind people of Michael Jackson."

Orochimaru and Jiraiya gaped.

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The boy stood in the trees above Team 7's make-shift camp. A large figure was in the hollow tree, standing over something the boy could not see. A boy with wild hair was walking through the bushes a few dozen feet to the right of the tree. But, it was the girl who caught the boy in green's attention.

Dangling by her pink hair from the hand of a girl with long black hair was a semi-conscious, bleeding Sakura.

"Sakura-san..."

The boy leapt from his perch.

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Kin laughed. "Not a very high tolerance for pain, huh?" She shrugged and jerked Sakura around by the hair. "Oh well... I guess it's time to finish you off anyway..." Her kunai made its way to Sakura's neck. "Bye."

There was a whooshing noise and Kin jumped backwards, dropping her kunai.

Kin glared at the green clad newcomer. "Who are you?!"

He slowly stood from his crouch. He stood in his battle stance with his right arm extended, open handed, in front of him and his closed fist of his left hand around his back. "The beautiful blue beast of Konoha, Rock Lee!"

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Naruto glanced around nervously. "Are we gonna keep killing each other... Or what...?"

Orochimaru glared and charged again. "For that remark, I think we-"

Jiraiya stepped in his path and stopped Orochimaru's progress. "Secondly! You have already revealed a great deal of your powers, Orochimaru. Revealing your abilities so early is foolhardy."

Orochimaru scowled and thought for a moment. He suddenly turned and started walking away.

Naruto started running after him. "Hey!! Where the hell are you-" Jiraiya grabbed him around the neck. "Pervy-Sage?! What're you doing?!"

"Let him go. This fight needs to end. We have more important things to do."

"Yes. Listen to your idiot mentor..." Orochimaru put his hand to his pasty forehead. "I can't believe I'm going to listen to Jiraiya of all people..."

Jiraiya and Naruto looked from each other to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru threw his arms to his sides and threw his head back and yelled to the sky. "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little fox too!"

He vanished.

Jiraiya and Naruto looked from each other to the site where Orochimaru vanished.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "That... was mildly creepy..."

He turned to Naruto, who stared straight forward, mouth agape.

"Something wrong?"

"F-f... Flying monkeys... Flying monkeys!!"

Naruto ran, screaming like a little girl.

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Kin raised an eyebrow. "Blue beast...?"

"_Beautiful _blue beast. Unhand Sakura-san."

Kin smirked. "Ah... You want the girl..."

"Yes."

"You can't have her."

Rock Lee and Kin turned to the source of the voice.

"Dosu... Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to kill Naruto?"

Rock Lee's eyes widened slightly. _Naruto's in trouble too? Come to think of it... Where's Sasuke?_

"I was about to. But I couldn't help but notice that you were having trouble with this boy."

Kin scoffed. "I was having no trouble with _him_! None at all!"

It was hard to tell under his bandaged face, but it seemed to Kin that Dosu was smiling. "Nevertheless... _I _will take it from here. Finish off the girl."

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A girl with long blond hair was yelling at her companions. Mainly, the thinner one with his arms crossed and his hair tied back.

"Aah!! We can't find any weak looking guys!"

The one with his arms crossed retorted. His headband reflected the sun from his left shoulder. "As I said... The guys weaker than us would probably be Naruto's team.

The girl was shocked. "Idiot!! What are you saying?!"

"What?"

"Sakura and Naruto are losers, of course, but they have the super genius Sasuke-kun!!"

The boy looked skeptical. "Bah, I don't know about that... Geniuses can crumble quickly under the pressure of the real world." He noticed the murderous look on the girl's face and he quickly lost interest in the argument. "OK, OK, I'm sorry that I upset you."

"There's no way Sasuke-kun would lose! It's a different story with Sakura though."

The chubby companion pointed to his right. "Oh!! Sasuke's knocked out cold!! And Saukra is fighting."

The girl was shocked beyond believe. "Huh?!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A girl with her brown hair up in two buns on the sides of her head and a boy with no pupils in his eyes and a perma-frown on his face stood by a kunai sticking straight out of the ground.

The girl spoke first, her hands on her hips. "Lee sure is late..."

The boy said nothing.

The girl continued. "Strange, he's usually accurate when it comes to time. Could he have run into the enemy?"

The boy smirked slightly. "Well, that's unlikely. Let's go find Lee."

"Yeah."

The pair jumped off.

* * *

Rock Lee vs. the Sound Ninja! How will that battle end?!

I hope you enjoyed. Review, please, K, thanks.


	6. Forbidden Move

Late because I was unable to upload or edit documents, sorry.

Lee recalls a lesson from his teacher as Zaku finds something more than he expected.

I don't own Naruto, but I'm sure we all know that by now.

_

* * *

_

_"Yes!! I finally mastered it!!" _

_Rock Lee was jumping for joy in front of a training log that was split in two. Neji and Tenten were hunched over in the background trying to catch their breath._

_Might Guy stood behind Lee with his arms crossed and a smile on his face. "Calm down."_

_Neji glared at Lee._

_Guy was pleased. _So... Lee was the only one able to master this technique... _"Hey Lee..."_

_Lee was dancing around the log. "Yahoo! I did it! I did it!! I DID IT!!!"_

_"Hey..." Guy looked almost angry. "Yaaah!!" He punched Lee in the face. "Listen to my warm message!!" _

_Lee looked up at his teacher, with tears in his eyes. "What is it? Please tell me."_

_Tenten and Neji looked on the scene with no expression on their faces._

_Suddenly, Might Guy became serious. "This technique, "Lotus," will be a forbidden technique from now on."_

**6 - Forbidden Move**

"Are you just going to stand there?" Dosu stepped forward. "You look lost in thought. You'll never beat me like that."

Lee said nothing and moved his arms upwards.

_Lee was stunned. _?! Huh? _"Why is that?"_

_Tenten and Neji were almost as shocked as Lee._

_Guy continued anyway. "This technique puts a lot of strain on your muscle fibers. It is basically a suicidal attack." Guy was abnormally serious. "Normally, humans use the power of their muscles at only about twenty percent or its full power."_

_He paused, then continued. "If you use one hundred percent, the muscles themselves will be destroyed. Thus, normally, your brain is holding down this power. But this technique releases the brain's limiters using chakra. The muscle power to use multiple super speed taijutsu. Basically, this is a dangerous jutsu that allows the body to use power that is close to the body's limit."_

_He held up one finger. "Thus, you may only use it under _one _condition."_

_Lee saluted. "What kind of condition?"_

_"Listen closely. That is-"_

The wind blew the leaves from the trees.

Lee stood with his head down as he undid the bandages on his arms. _Guy-sensei... I'm going to use this technique without reservations... Because right now is-_

He looked up. He did a hand sign and charged forward. _THE TIME TO PROTECT A PRECIOUS PERSON!! _

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Zaku rummaged through the thick bushes. He looked up and glanced around. He shrugged and returned to the bushes.

He suddenly threw his head back. "Where the hell did he go?!"

"Where the hell did _who _go?"

Zaku's eyes widened. He lowered his gaze and saw Sasuke leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. He held his arms out. "Hello... Sasuke."

Sasuke smirked. "_That _won't work on me again." He blinked. _Sharingan!_

Zaku reacted the way Sasuke thought he would. The sound ninja flinched at the sight of the Sharingan. He released the winds from his hands too early.

His target was suddenly not there. Instead, a log flew to the distance.

Zaku went on high alert. _Is he really...? Did he really survive a point blank blast? How?_

A tree branch creaked. WHOOSH!! The branch snapped and flew away. Zaku jumped and landed in a tree. He jumped away from everyone.

_Where did he go? How is this possible?! How?!_

A bush twitched in front of him. He planted his feet in a branch. WHOOSH!! He fired at the bush and jumped backwards at the same time.

The bush was blown away, but Sasuke was again nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it!! Where the hell are you?!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Zaku landed on another branch. He was breathing heavily. Sasuke had not shown himself in about ten minutes... Maybe... No. It couldn't have been that long...

It was more like four or five minutes. Zaku had simply used too much chakra.

"Had enough yet?"

The taunt came from everywhere and nowhere. Zaku could not pin-point the location. "Of what?! You haven't done anything!"

"Oh, but I have."

"Huh?"

"I couldn't use my fire-style jutsu to fight your wind. The fire would either be blown away or back at me. A lose-lose situation."

Zaku searched frantically. The voice was closing in on him, but still he could not find the source.

"So, how else would I fight you? I could waste time and energy hiding shuriken in the flames. But, even then they might be blown away. Why waste the effort if it might not work?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Logic."

Zaku's eyes widened. The voice was behind him.

"So I decided to waste _your _energy instead of my own. Now, it's over."

Zaku turned.

Sasuke grinned, eyes red with the Sharingan. "Yo. How's it goin'?"

Zaku raised his hand slightly slower than Sasuke did his handsign.

_Phoenix Flower Jutsu! _"Good-bye."

The flames blew Zaku into oblivion.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lee landed in a crouch slightly in front of Dosu. He looked at his opponent with fierce determination.

Dosu swung. But- _He vanished!_

Lee was suddenly at Dosu's feet. He leaned back and kicked upward.

His kick connected just below Dosu's chin.

Dosu felt himself rise high into the air. Then, there was a presence at his back.

"It's not over."

Lee's bandages wrapped themselves around Dosu as Lee turned them to the ground.

"TAKE THIS!!"

_PRIMARY LOTUS!! _The pair spun to the ground.

BOOM!!

* * *

Lee appears victorious, but Sound Ninja still roam the forest! With Lee drained from his forbidden jutsu and Sasuke too far away to help, Sakura must make a life-changing decision!

I hope you enjoyed. Review please, 'K, thanks.


	7. Sakura's Decision!

From now on, I am going to aim to update all of my stories every Saturday. I can't make any promises, but every story will be updated at least every weekend, every week.

With that said, here is chapter 7.

Sakura becomes a woman! No, seriously...

I hope you enjoy.

* * *

The smoke was thick, too thick to see the result of Lee's move. But...

But, somehow, Kin knew... Somehow, she knew something was wrong.

**7 - Sakura's Decision!**

"Hey! Pervy-Sage! Wait up!"

"Come on, Naruto! I _know _I trained you better than that! Hurry up!"

Naruto landed on a tree branch. "But we've been running all-out for almost an hour!"

Jiraiya stopped on a branch a few dozen feet ahead. Jiraiya, unlike his pupil, was showing no signs of fatigue. "Ugh. I _guess _it's a result of your battle with Orochimaru... Take a rest. I'll stand guard."

"Guard? Why?"

"Even though we are not apart of the Chunin Exam, we could still end up as targets."

"Where are we goin' anyway...?"

"Heh. I'll tell you after your nap."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The smoke started to clear.

Lee landed in a crouch a few feet away from a shape Kin couldn't quite figure out. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was.

Dosu's legs were sticking out of the ground.

"You bastard!"

Lee turned to Kin in shock.

"You really must be stupid..."

"What do you mean by that, Sound Ninja?"

"I mean, that I _still _have the girl." She yanked Sakura upward by the hair.

Lee tried to get up. _Damn... My body is still..._

Kin took out a pair of needles. "I'll kill you, then the girl." She launched the needles.

"Ahh!" Lee fell on his back as the needles met his left and right shoulders.

Kin smiled. "Heh. Heh. Looks like that move of yours is a double-edged sword. And right now..." She drew two more needles. "It's cutting _you _far more than it's cutting me."

She threw the second set of needles.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Naruto woke up.

He looked around.

_Hmm... _Something's _not right..._

He looked at his surroundings again. The trees were definitely bouncing up and down and appeared to be flying by at an astonishing rate.

"Finally awake, huh?"

Naruto looked everywhere, but he couldn't find the source of the voice.

"Hey! Naruto! Stop thrashing! And... Now that you're awake... Get off my shoulder!"

As shocked as he was to wake up in that position, that was nothing to the shock he felt when his face collided with a tree.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Ha! Not so high and mighty now, are you?!"

Lee groaned and tried to roll onto his stomach. Two more needles joined the dozen already embedded in Lee's upper body.

"Heheheh... Looks like that move will be the death of you! I grow bored." Kin took out two more needles and held them in front of her face. "These are the _last _ones... I'll make this girl watch as I kill the ninja who tried to save her."

Sakura looked on desperately. _I can't allow that..._

"Hey!" Kin gave a sharp tug to Sakura's hair. "Don't move!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji were crouched behind some bushes. They were barely twenty feet from the battle.

Choji yelled from Ino's right. "Hey!! Let's run away!! _They _are in serious trouble!!"

Shikamaru commented from Ino's left. "Looks like Naruto's just knocked out. Sasuke is nowhere in sight. Also, that Lee guy has been beaten and Sakura is alone. What will you do, Ino?"

Ino looked surprised. "What will _I _do?"

Shikamaru turned to Ino. "Well, Sakura's in trouble. Didn't you guys used to be good friends?"

Ino looked straight ahead. Confused and scared, she hid in her memories.

_"Hey..."_

_A younger Ino looked at a younger Sakura. "What? Why are you acting all serious?"_

_Sakura looked at her feet. "Ino-chan..."_

_Ino's smile didn't falter. "What is it?"_

_Sakura looked up. Her eyes met Ino's. "I heard you also like Sasuke-kun..."_

_Ino looked surprised. "Huh?"_

_Sakura got up from the bench they were sitting on. As she walked away, their friendship ended._

_"Then... From now on... We're rivals..."_

Ino was paralysed with indecision. _Why am I remembering that time?_

Shikamaru's voice suddenly rang out. "Hey! Ino, what do we do?"

"What _can _we do?! We can't just jump out!"

Ino stood behind the bush, watching the battle. She started shaking.

_If I go out now, I will undoubtedly just be defeated..._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sakura was shaking all over.

Lee lay on his stomach. All he was able to do was watch. _Sakura-san..._

Sakura dug her fingers into the ground. _I can't feel my body... I..._

She started crying as images of Sasuke, Naruto, and Rock Lee entered her mind.

_I... am still... just getting in the way... Always being protected... I can't stand it... This time... I thought... This time..._

_That I have to protect those that are important to me..._

Kin smirked. "Good-bye... Mr._ Hero_." She readied her needles and took aim at Lee.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sasuke was walking... _Slowly_...

He was on his way back to camp.

_Damn... I guess concealing myself like that for so long did more damage than I thought..._

His eyes slowly widened. _Sakura!_

He jumped into the trees and quickly made his way back.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Shikamaru and Ino looked on with shock.

Shikakaru yelled to Ino. "Hey! They're in trouble!"

Ino's eyes were wide. _What should I do?!_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sakura closed her eyes in determination. She drew a kunai and held it in front of herself.

Kin noticed Sakura's efforts. She held off on her attack on Lee. "Useless. That won't work against me."

Sakura looked up at Kin and held up the kunai. She grinned. "What are you talking about?"

She bowed her head. She used her left hand to hold her right arm up. The kunai in her right hand sliced through her hair.

* * *

I don't own Naruto.

NEXT TIME: The preliminaries begin! But something isn't right... As future-Naruto watches, the fight go differently than he remembers...


	8. Sakura and Ino

_I always thought of myself as a proud ninja..._

_I always said I liked Sasuke-kun..._

_I would lecture Naruto as if I was better than him..._

_But all I did..._

_But all I did was watch you guys from behind..._

**8 - Sakura and Ino**

_Yet... They always fought to protect me._

_Lee-san... You said you like me..._

_And with your back to me you risked your life and fought._

_I feel like I've learned from you..._

_I want to become like you guys..._

_Everyone..._

_This time..._

_Get a good look at my back!_

Sakura slowly stood as her hair filled the air and her headband fell from her head.

She confronted Kin as her headband hit the ground..

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Naruto's vision was a blur.

He groaned and put his hand to his head. His eyes jerked open when he smelled the air around him.

"I see you're _finally _awake."

Naruto turned to his left and saw Jiraiya. "Pervy-Sage?! What are you doing here?! Wait... What am I doing here?! Wait... Where is here?!"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Here is Ichiraku Ramen, as you have smelled... _We _are here because I decided that, since we are not technically participating in the Chunin Exams, we don't have to be there for the-"

"But I wanted to watch the preliminaries!"

Jiraiya shook his head. "First of all, I can't be sure that the preliminaries will even be necessary right now..."

Naruto looked confused, as always. "Why?"

"Remember that _we _are in the past. Our presence here could present danger and disruption to the time stream. You yourself have stopped Orochimaru from cursing Sasuke."

"Hell yeah I did! Now that freak won't get Sasuke and Sasuke won't leave."

Jiraiya shook his head sadly. "_Maybe_... We have no way of knowing what will happen now... But! For now, I have taken the liberty of ordering ramen for the both of us and we are going to take the next few days to relax!"

Naruto eyed his mentor and got some chopsticks. "Hold on... Shouldn't we continue my training?!"

Jiraiya smirked. "Always thinking about yourself... Not everything is about your training..."

Naruto twitched. "I thought this whole thing was about my training!"

"Heh, heh..." Jiraiya reached into his pocket and withdrew some money.

"Hey. What're ya doin'?"

Jiraiya did not reply and he set the money on the counter. He walked away.

"Hey! Pervy-Sage! Wha-" He noticed the money. "Hey! This isn't enough for anymore ramen!"

Jiraiya stopped at the entrance. "I'm off to do some research. See ya in five days at this very spot."

"Wait! Pervy-Sage! What about my training?!"

After discovering Jiraiya was gone, Naruto also realized that there was more money than he thought. There was more than enough money on the counter. Enough for five days of ramen meals, with several helpings each time.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ino stared out of the bushes, dumbfounded. _Sakura...?!_

Sakura stood, with her back to all present, weaving a handsign.

Kin glared. _Bah... That handsign... _She grabbed some of her needles from Lee's body and circled around behind Sakura.

Sakura finished her handsign as Kin stabbed her in the back with the needles.

Suddenly, something was wrong. Kin looked at the log that was suddenly in Sakura's place. She was momentarily stunned. She looked around. _To the right... _Kin withdrew the needles from the log. _Is she messing around...? Such a basic jutsu... _

Sakura held several kunai between the fingers of both hands. She crossed her arms as she ran at Kin. She leaned forward and threw the kunai.

Kin jumped back and took some more needles from Lee and prepared to throw them. "Useless." She launched the needles.

The needles and kunai collided in the air, but one needle still flew towards Sakura.

Sakura pulled back in surprise and quickly wove another handsign. The needle hit Sakura in the forehead just after she finished her handsign.

"Is that all you know?" Another log appeared in Sakura's place. "You aren't fooling anyone." Kin quickly looked up. "Above."

Sakura descended form the sky with her hands still forming the handsign.

Kin glared and reached into her weapons pouch. "How many times do I have to say it's useless?" She withdrew several kunai and launched them at Sakura. "Time to get serious!" The kunai hit their target and Kin started looking around. "Heh... Heh... Now where are you? Huh?" Her eyes widened in shock as Sakura continued descending, with a raised kunai. _What the...?!_

Kin held up an arm in defense and yelled in pain when Sakura's kunai embedded itself in her arm. The two kunoichi tumbled to the ground and Sakura bit down on Kin's arm.

"Ah! Let go of me!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The group behind the bushes were stunned. Ino looked on with wonder as Kin beat Sakura upside the head with her other arm.

_A young Sakura was crouching next to a path, crying. Her hair hung down in her face._

_"Everyone makes fun of your forehead, huh?"_

_Sakura looked up into the face of a blond girl. "Who are...?"_

"I'm Yamanaka Ino. What about you?"

_"I'm... Sakura... Haruno Sakura..."_

_Young Ino smiled. "Ah... I see..." She poked Sakura's forehead. "So this is the famous forehead." She pressed her palm to Sakura's forehead and pushed up the hair. "So you try to hide it with your hair. You look like a sheepdog." Ino stood up. "It's Sakura, right? Come here again tomorrow."_

_"Huh?"_

_Ino walked away. "I'll give you something nice."_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kin continued beating Sakura with her free hand. "Damn it! Let go!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_The young Sakura now wore a red ribbon in her hair and was looking at Ino, skeptically. _

_"Sakura, you're much cuter this way. You can have that ribbon." _

_"Thanks... But..."_

_Ino put her hands on her hips. "But what?"_

_"My forehead..."_

_Ino held up a finger. "They make fun of it more 'cause you try to hide it. You have a cute face so show it off confidently. Confidently!"_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_A girl with short black hair and a girl with short blond hair stood before Ino._

_The blond haired girl spoke. "Oh, hey Ino-chan, who's that girl?"_

_Sakura leaned out from behind Ino, blushing._

_Ino turned to her. "Say hi, Sakura."_

_"Nice... to meet you..."_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Young Sakura ran up to a group of girls. "Everyone! Listen, I have someone that I like! Wanna know who it is?!"_

_The black haired girl smirked. "Tell us all about it."_

_The blond put her hands on her hips. "Please don't say Sasuke-kun."_

_Sakura blushed and the excitement vanished from her voice. "Huh? How did you know?"_

_The black haired responded. "What are you talking about? Sasuke-kun is super popular._

_Sakura responded dejectedly. "Oh... Really?"_

_Ino, near the back of the group, was surprised._

_Next to her, a girl with long blond hair smirked and crossed her arms. "Hey Ino, Sakura sure seems cheerier these days."_

_Ino glared at the ground. "Bah. She's just hiding her feelings."_

Ino looked on as her former friend was being beaten up but still defiantly holding on to her opponent.

_"Ino-chan, I heard Sasuke-kun likes girls with long hair, so..._

Ino frowned in her indecision. _Sakura..._

_"So you also like Sasuke-kun..." Sakura glared and turned from Ino. "We are rivals from now on..." With that, the pink haired kunoichi turned her back on Ino._

_In her mind, Ino watched her friend grow up._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_"Your hair's gotten pretty long, Ino."_

_An older Ino turned and glared at her former friend, her long ponytail swinging wildly. "What do you want, Sakura?!"_

_Sakura smirked. "Ha! I'll tell you something interesting. I'm now on the same team as Sasuke-kun."_

_Ino's eyes widened. _Huh?!

_The former friends stared each other down. Sakura broke the silence. "I won't lose to you anymore."_

_"It's the same for me. I'll never lose to you no matter what."_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ino watched as Kin finally threw off Sakura. Sakura hit the ground and Kin prepared to finish her off with the kunai from her arm.

Choji turned to Ino. "This is bad..."

Shikamaru also commented. "Hey... Ino...?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sakura got to her hands and knees and glared at her opponent through eyes swollen half-shut. _I have to protect everyone..._

Kin prepared to throw her kunai. "You brat! Huh?!"

Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji jumped in between Sakura and Kin.

Sakura was mildly surprised. _Huh?_

Kin smirked. "More weirdos have appeared."

Sakura looked up at Ino. "Ino..."

Ino smirked as she stared down the last Sound Ninja. "Sakura... I won't lose to you. I already told you that."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Hmm... Ramen..." Future-Naruto wafted the fumes into his nose and inhaled deeply. Suddenly, Naruto grabbed his chopsticks and downed the ramen.

The man behind the counter chuckled. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something. "Hey... Ya know... Aren't you supposed to be taking the Chunin Exam?"

Naruto stopped eating and his eyes widened. From behind him a voice rang out.

"How many days into the Second Exam?!"

Naruto turned around and nearly choked on his ramen. "Per-vy..." He leaned forward and barfed. He came up coughing. "Pervy-Sage?!" He barfed again.

The man pondered for a moment. "Uh... I know you've been here going on exactly five days..."

Jiraiya looked shocked. "Damn it! Naruto, choke to death some other time! We've gotta go!"

"Huh? Why?!"

"We have to see something."

"What?"

Jiraiya sighed. "If we made any changes to the time stream, this is when they'd start to show. Now come on!"

Naruto glanced at his ramen. "But..."

A dull clank and suddenly his world went dark.

* * *

I don't own Naruto.

Sorry for the abnormally long wait... I got sick, then I had to make sure I was able to graduate high school, then I had make sure I could get into the college that I was going to (which was fucking hell, I needed a college ID card, but for that I needed a regular ID, but for that I needed a birth certificate, but I needed a real one, but it was in the safe deposit box, but we lost the key to the safe deposit box, and then I needed a social security card). Getting the IDs took up most of my summer, and I've been getting acclimated to college life (which is awesome) until now. I also suffered from writer's block when I did try to write.

But I'm back. I'm not going to make promises anymore because I don't want to crush your hopes for an update, but I will aim for at least every other week for all my stories. If I'm unable to do that, I have a long Thanksgiving break coming up and I have a month off for Christmas. You will get your stories by January.

I've decided to update 2 chapters to make the long wait up to you guys.

Keep in mind that the wait is not my story's fault. Don't stop reading because you may be annoyed at the wait. Thank you.


	9. The Preliminaries!

_"Ino... Why...?"_

_"I won't let you be the only one who gets to look good in front of Sasuke."_

_Kin glared. "Looks like some more Leaf insects have crawled into the open. Let's get this over with... I have places to be."_

_A voice sounded from the trees. "That will no longer be necessary, Sound Ninja."_

_Everyone still conscious looked up in shock. Standing on a branch with his arms crossed, was a Leaf Ninja with long, dark hair and some sort of wrap on his right arm and leg. His companion was female and she was crouched next to him. Both were glaring down at the scene._

_The boy spoke again. "I can't take anymore of this... Still so confident despite being outnumbered and squadless..."_

_Kin's eyes widened. "What...?"_

_"Your team has been eliminated, save for you..."_

_"Wha-what are you talking about?"_

_"Your wild-haired friend was defeated and killed by Uchiha Sasuke... And Lee killed your other teammate. You no longer have any reason to fight."_

**9 - The Preliminaries!**

"Ugh... Oh man! The trees are alive! Ah!"

"Calm down, Naruto. We're just moving very quickly through a forest."

"Oh my god! Now they're talking to me!"

"Naruto, it's me, Jiraiya."

"Oh my god! Pervy-Sage turned into a tree!"

"No, you dunce! I'm carrying you through the Forest of Death!"

"Holy shit! A tree kidnapped me! I was kidnapped by tree! Why?!" Naruto suddenly found himself flying very fast at a tree. He managed to flip and propel himself harmlessly away from the tree. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

"You'd know if I was trying to kill you."

"Then, why are you constantly giving me severe head wounds?!"

"It's easier than talking to you."

"Ah! Where the hell are we goin'?!"

"To the central tower."

"Why?"

"To see what damage we've done to the time stream."

"Huh...?"

Jiraiya sighed. "Just follow me."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Several Leaf Ninja, the leaders of the six remaining teams, and the Third Hokage stood before the 18 remaining ninja._

_After the idle chatter died down, Sakura nudged Ino._

_Ino turned to her. "What...?"_

_Sakura looked down. "I forgot earlier... Thanks."_

_"For what?"_

_"For saving me."_

_Ino shrugged. "I didn't really do anything..."_

_"I know... But... You would have if you had the chance... So, thanks."_ smiled. "I did more to save your hair than I did to save you."Ino

_Sakura smirked. "Thanks for that too."_

_The Third Hokage cleared his throat and everyone in the large room snapped to attention. The Third glanced around. He lowered his hat over his eyes._

_Anko spoke. "Hokage-sama, please."_

_"Yes..." The Third frowned slightly. "For the coming Third Exam... But before I explain that... There is something I'd like you to know."_

_Surprised murmurs ran through the gathered crowd._

_"It concerns the true reason for this Exam..."_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Pervy-Sage, wait up!"

"We don't have time, Naruto! Pick up the pace!"

"Why?! What the hell's so important about the Exam?!"

"Listen! I've experienced this phenomena before!"

"What phenomena?!"

"This Time Travel Phenomena!"

"... I thought you said you didn't know what this was!"

"I didn't want all your questions! I've been through one of those caves once before!"

"Why are you telling me this now?!"

"You need to understand the nature of this event! I was stuck in one for over five years before I was finally let out!"

"Five _years_?!"

"Yes... And to this day, I haven't found out how to stop one of these things before they let a person out... And, I have seen plenty of them since. Also, I have discovered that the effects on the time stream start to take affect almost immediately."

"What happened to you?"

Jiraiya sighed and smiled sadly. "It was after Orochimaru left me and Tsunade... I was wandering aimlessly and I happened across one of those caves... It transported me to just before Orochimaru left... I thought it was giving me a second chance with Orochimaru, but things quickly turned disastrous when he stayed with my team."

"What are you saying...?"

"When Orochimaru stayed, Konohagakure was nearly destroyed and the ninja fell into another world war."

Naruto didn't respond and the two moved through the forest in silence.

A short while later, Naruto broke the silence. "How is the world OK?"

"I don't know... I was fighting Orochimaru to the death and suddenly I was returned to the moment when I went through the cave, only the cave wasn't there and I had no desire to go into anymore of them."

"Huh?"

"That's when my theory that it was to tell me that Orochimaru leaving was a good thing was shattered."

"Huh?"

"Those things are man-made."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A short while later, the pair entered the tower through an upper floor window. They could hear battle sounds below.

Naruto whispered. "That's fire...! Sasuke's fighting...!"

"Damn! We're late! Follow me."

As they made their way to the arena, the sounds of battle got louder.

"Hey... The doors are open...!"

Jiraiya barely managed to stop Naruto from running off. "Only slightly... And be cool. If your past self sees you, who knows what could happen?"

"Alright..."

They made their way to the doors and Jiraiya slowly pulled them open. As they opened wider, a human shape flew by the doors from the inside.

Naruto barely stopped himself from running in.

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

"The winner.... Akado Yoroi!"

Naruto stood in the doorway, looking at Sasuke's unconscious form. Before he could stop himself, he yelled.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!?!"

* * *

Sorry, for any potential confusion that may have been caused by the way I laid out this chapter. With the exception of the Sasuke fight, the preliminaries take place slightly before Jiraiya and Naruto leave to go the tower. I was just pressed for time and felt certain things were more important than just putting in exact dialogue from the manga.

From now on, things are going to start moving faster and things are going to take a different turn from the regular series.

And, yes, I do sincerely believe that Sasuke woul have lost his preliminary fight if he didn't have the Curse Mark. He was tired and low on chakra, while his opponent was well rested and powerful. The Curse Mark allowed him to win in the first place. Agree or disagree, the above is what happened. Present a good argument in a comment and I might change it. (Probably not though, but you're welcome to try.)

I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 10 by Nov. 9, 2009.


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